Apparatus for manufacturing mailing tubes



June 4, 1968 s. 1.. GRODBERG 3,386,350

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING IIIIIIIIII ES i e arch 31, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A j\ 8 v /I Tiff 1 E A n A June 4, 1968 I s. L. GRODBERG 3,386,350

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING MAILING TUBES I Filed March 31, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 V INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS June 4, 1968 s. GRODBERG 3,386,350

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING MAILING TUBES Filed March 31, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 5/ 20 5 i" 56 5'5 5' L5 O O O Q I 1v I 65 %5/ 63 z 5/ I 25 z a I. a

| 22 I & lg Z4 FIG 5 FlG 6 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,386,350 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTG MAILING TUBES Sidney L. Grodberg, Newton, Mass. (Marshall St., Randolph, Mass. 02368) Filed Mar. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 538,999 9 Claims. (CI. 93-77) This invention relates to a new and improved machine for manufacturing mailing tubes.

Mailing tubes conventionally composed of a spiral wound cardboard cylinder and a collapsible paper sleeve at each end are regularly made by hand; that is, an assembler takes the cardboard cylinders one at a time and manually applies a strip of paper to each end of each, cylinder, which paper may be fed to the assembler by a tape dispensing machine. This work is obviously slow, tedious and relatively expensive for the manufacturer.

One important object of this invention is to provide a machine capable of producing automatically, 1000 or more mailing tubes per hour.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive machine for wholly automatically manufacturng mailing tubes.

Yet another important object of this invention is to provide a machine capable of making mailing tubes of a variety of different sizes.

To accomplish these and other objects, the machine of this invention includes a frame and a support on the frame for rotating cylinders to which paper sleeves are to be applied at the ends. A pair of tape dispensing machines are provided on the frame, each of which supplies a strip of paper of selected length and with an adhesive coating on one side thereof aligned with the ends of the cylinder. Each of the strips of adhesive coated paper is supported by an air blast directed against the paper on the coated side, which air blast serves both to support the paper and to set the adhesive. The end of each strip of adhesive coated paper is guided by pressure roller means to the end of the cylinder so that a portion of the paper overlaps the end. As the cylinder rotates, the strips of adhesive coated paper are caused to wind about the ends of the cylinder by the pressure roller means.

The apparatus also includes feeding and ejecting mechanisms for automatically diverting cylinders to and discharging the fully formed mailing tubes from the supporting rollers.

These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed de; scription of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mailing tube made by the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5-9 are fragmentary side views similar to FIG. 3 and illustrating the sequence of manufacturing steps performed by the machine .to make the mailing tube shown in FIG. 2.

The apparatus of the present invention is designed to manufacture mailing tubes of the type shown in FIG. 2. The mailing tube in that figure includes a relatively rigid cylinder which may be of substantially any length and diameter suitable for the particular application for which it is intended. Adhered to the ends 12 and 14 of 3,386,350 Patented June 4, 1968 the cylinder 10 are collapsible paper sleeves 16 and 18 that are adapted tobe folded over the ends of the cylinder to enclose the cylinder contents. The part of each sleeve which overlaps the end of the cylinder is coated with adhesive on the inside, and the adhesive binds the sleeves to the cylinder. The article itself is of standard design and construction and forms no part of the present invention. Rather, the invention relates to the manufacture of the mailing tube.

The portion of the machine shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, includes a frame 20 upon which is mounted a pair of rotatable shafts 22 and 24 driven by a motor or other prime mover (not shown) mounted on or adjacent the frame. The direction of rotation of the shafts 22 and 24 are suggested by the arrows 26 in FIGS. 1 and 3. Each shaft 22 and 24 carries a pair of supporting rollers 28 and 29 that rotate with them. The supporting rollers 28 and 29 on each shaft are spaced apart as shown in FIG. 1 a distance somewhat less than the length of the cylinder 14 of the mailing tube to be made on the machine, and the space between the rollers forms a gap 30 within which is located the tube ejecting mechanism 32. The rollers 28 and 29 preferably are slidable on the shafts 22 and 24 so that the distance between each pair on the separate shafts may be adjusted for the length of the particular cylinder 14 to be carried on them. It is evident that the ends of the cylinder are supported on the rollers 28 and 29.

A pair of pressure roller assemblies 31 are mounted on a supporting axle 33 that extends across the frame, The axle 33 is shown in FIG. 3 to be mounted at its ends (one is shown) in a block 34 that is slidable up and down on a pair of tracks 36 that form part of the frame. The blocks 34 are supported at the desired height in the tracks by a vertical push rod 38 which is actuated by a lever 40 pivotally carried on support 42 and raised and lowered by the eccentric cam 44 that rotates on its shaft 46 in turn driven by the motor or other prime mover (not shown).

Each of the pressure roller assemblies 31 includes a pair of rollers 48 supported for rotation on their respective shafts 50 that extend between side panels 52 that form cradles pivotally connected to axle 33. A flexible belt 54 extends about each pair of rollers 48 of the pressure roller assemblies. The rollers 48 with their belts 54 idle in the respective cradles but are free to rotate when they are engaged by a rotating body. Consequently when the cradles on the axle 33 are lowered into .the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, wherein the belts 54 engage the ends of cylinder 14, the belts 54 and rollers rot-ate in response to rotation of the cylinder 14.

Mounted on the frame 20 adjacent each pair of supporting rollers 28 and 29 on the ends of shafts 22 and 24 are gummed paper dispensing machines 56 (one shown) which are adapted to simultaneously eject a strip 62 of paper carrying a tacky adhesive coating along one edge on the bottom and of the proper length to wrap around the ends of the cylinder 14 to form the paper sleeves 16 and 18, respectively. That is, the length of each strip ejected by the dispensers 56 slightly exceeds the circumference of the cylinder 14 so that the sleeve is complete about each end 12 and 14 of the cylinder.

Adjacent each dispenser 56 is an air nozzle 58 (one shown) positioned to direct a continuous flow of air upwardly as suggested at 60 to the underside of the strips 62 ejected by the dispensers 56. The blast of air from each nozzle 58 serves two important functions; namely, it supports the strip 62 in a horizontal position above the rollers 28 and 29 after theyhavebeen discharged by the dispensers, and the air partially dries the adhesive coating on the lower surface to set the adhesive.

The ejecting mechanism 32 disposed between the shafts 22 and 24 and the rollers 28 and 2? carried by them, serves to remove a fully formed mailing tube made on the machine from the supporting rollers 23 and 29 and to pass to another station (not shown) where they may be bundled, filled or otherwise dealt with. The roller ejecting mechanism includes a plate 64 having a portion 66 mounted on the top of a supporting rod 68 in turn controlled by lever 70 pivotally supported about its end 72 and actuated by cam 74. The cam 74 is shown in FIG. 3 to be rotatably carried on a shaft 76 that may in turn be driven by the motor (not shown) or other prime mover, with the other moving parts. It is evident in FIG. 3 that when the plate 64 is elevated by the rod 68 it will engage the mailing tube 10 on the rollers 28 and 29 and if the pressure roller assembly 30 is out of the way, the continued elevation of the plate 64 will cause the tube 19 to roll over the rollers 28 and 29, on shaft 24 so that another cylinder may be positioned on the supporting rollers.

In FIG. 3 it will also be noted that a second lever 73 is pivoted about its end 75 by a cam 77 mounted on shaft 79. The shafts 76 and 79 may well be one and the same. The lever 73 is positioned adjacent a pair of microswitches 80 which in turn control the electrical circuits (not shown) for the dispensers 56. The cams 74 and 77 are timed so that immediately after the mailing tube on rollers 28 and 29 is ejected, the dispensers 56 are actuated to begin the next cycle. This will be evident from the description of the operation which follows in connection with FIGS. -9.

In FIG. 5 the pressure roller assembly 31 is shown in its elevated position, and the rollers 28 (and 29 not shown) are rotating in the direction suggested by arrows 26. The rotation is imparted to the shafts of the rollers through a prime mover (not shown) which has been turned on. In sequence, while the pressure roller assembly is in the elevated position, the dispenser 56 expells a strip of partially gummed paper 62, and the blast of air 60 from the nozzle 58 supports the strip in the position shown in FIG. 5. It is to be borne in mind that while the description is confined to one end of the assembly, a similar sequence of events occurs on the other side in connection with the other end of the mailing tube. The blast of air 60 from the nozzle 58 serves to support the strip 62 in the position shown in FIG. 5 and simultaneously sets up the adhesive coating on the lower surface.

A moment after the strip has been dispensed by the assembly 56 to the position shown in FIG. 5, a cylinder is fed to the rollers 28 and 29 as shown in FIG. 6. In that figure a feeding ramp 81 is suggested, which ramp is positioned to feed cylinder 10 to the supporting rollers 28. However, it is to be understood that other means for dispensing cylinders one at a time to the position shown in FIG. 6 may be used. It is to be understood that when the cylinder 10 is fed to the supporting rollers 28 and 29 it does not include the collapsible sleeve 16 and 18 at its ends. Rather, the machine of this invention is designed to apply those sleeves. It is evident that when the cylinder 10 is placed on the supporting rollers 23 and 29 it rotates clockwise as viewed in FIG. 6 because of the direction of rotation of the supporting rollers. As seen in FIG. 7, the next step in sequence is the lowering of pressure roller assembly to its operative position. When the assembly is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 7, it presses the leading end 82 of the strip 62 onto the top of the rotating cylinder 10. Approximately half the width of the strip 62 overlaps the end of the cylinder 10, while the other half extends beyond the end of the cylinder. This is suggested by the position of the sleeves 16 and 18 in FIG. 2. It is also to be understood that the band of adhesive applied to the bottom of the strip 62 is generally.

pensing machine moistens only that portion of the strip which is so coated.

When the pressure roller assembly 30 lowers to the position shown in FIG. 7, under the influence of the cam 44, the rotation of the cylinder 10 causes the rollers 48 and the belt 54 to rotate, and because the belt and rollers 48 and 54 conform to the periphery of the cylinder 10, the strip 62 winds upon the end of the cylinder 10. This is suggested in FIG. 8 wherein the strip 62 of FIG. 7 is no longer separately visible.

After the strip is wound on the end of the cylinder 10 to form the sleeve 16 (or 18), the ejecting mechanism 32 is activated as shown in FIG. 9 by the cam 74 and lever 70, which causes the plate 64 to rise and push the completely formed mailing tube over the roller 28 on shaft 24. The inclined configuration of the plate 64 is of course adequate to push the completed tube over that roller, and the rotation of the rollers 28 and 29 on shaft 24 assists the action of the ejector. And immediately following the ejecting of the completed mailing tube, the cam 77 trips the lever 73 to actuate the switches 30 to cause the dispensers to eject the strips 62 and begin the next cycle of operation of the machine.

From the foregoing description those skilled in the art will appreciate the manner in which the machine operates to form the mailing tubes. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications may be made of the several parts without departing from the spirit of this invention. For example, the particular configuration of the pressure roller assemblies may be varied. It is only necessary that the pressure roller assemblies be adequate to cause the strips dispensed from the dispensers 56 to wind about the rotating cylinders as they are fed to the supporting rollers. It is also to be understood that the particular configuration of the strip dispensers forms no part of the present invention. It is only necessary that the dispenser deliver to the position of the rotating cylinders strips which are properly coated with active adhesive. Further, while in the present invention the air blast used to support the strips and set the adhesive is continually operable, it is only necessary that the air blast be present during those periods of the cycle when the strip is actually in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. That is, the compressor or other source of air for the nozzle 58 may be periodically shut down during those portions of the cycle illustrated in FIGS. 7-9.

Because numerous modifications may be made of the present invention without departing from its spirit, it is not intended to limit the breadth of this invention to the single embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for making mailing tubes comprising a frame,

a support on the frame for rotating cylinders,

means for feeding cylinders one at a time to the support,

dispensing means on the frame adjacent to support for feeding a strip of adhesive coated paper aligned with one end of the cylinder on the support,

pressure roller means adjacent the cylinder for pressing the adhesive coated side of the paper onto the cylinder causing the cylinder to roll up the paper on its end with the end of the cylinder intermediate the side edges of the paper,

and means for removing the cylinder from the support.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 further characterized by means for directing an air blast to the strip of paper for supporting the paper and/or setting the adhesive.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further character ized by a second dispensing means adjacent the other end of the cylinder and a second nozzle and second pressure roller means for applying a strip of paper to the other end of the cylinder. 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said support rotating the cylinder with its axis fixed and horizontal, said dispenser feeding the length of paper in a hori zontal plane with the coated side down and with the end of the paper over the cylinder, and a nozzle discharging air upwardly against the coated side to support the paper horizontally before it is rolled upon the tube. 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 fuither characterized by said pressure roller means being composed of 'a pair of spaced pulleys and a connecting flexible belt, said belt engaging the cylinder over a portion of the periphery of the cylinder when pressing the paper onto the cylinder. 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 further characterized by means supporting the pressure roller means above the cylinder on the support, and means for lowering the pressure roller means onto the cylinder causing it to engage the end of the paper to press the end onto the end of the cylinder. 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 further characterized by said support rotating the cylinder with its axis horizont'al said dispensers feeding the lengths of paper in a horizontal plane above the cylinder on the support with their coated sides down and with their leading ends above the opposite ends of the cylinder,

and said nozzles discharging air upwardly against the coated sides of the paper to support the lengths before they are rolled up on the ends of the cylinder.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 further characterized by said support rotating the cylinder with its axis horizontal said dispenser feeding the length of paper in a horizontal plane above the cylinder on the support with its coated side down and with its leading end above the opposite end of tne cylinder,

and said nozzle discharging air upwardly against the coated side of the paper to support the length before it is rolled upon the end of the cylinder.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 further characterized by each of said pressure roller means including a pair of spaced pulleys and a connecting belt which engages a portion of the periphery of the cylinder when the roller means is lowered to press the paper onto the cylinder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BERNARD STICKNEY, Primaly Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR MAKING MAILING TUBES COMPRISING A FRAME, A SUPPORT ON THE FRAME FOR ROTATING CYLINDERS, MEANS FOR FEEDING CYLINDERS ONE AT A TIME TO THE SUPPORT, DISPENSING MEANS ON THE FRAME ADJACENT TO SUPPORT FOR FEEDING A STRIP OF ADHESIVE COATED PAPER ALIGNED WITH ONE END OF THE CYLINDER ON THE SUPPORT, PRESSURE ROLLER MEANS ADJACENT THE CYLINDER FOR PRESSING THE ADHESIVE COATED SIDE OF THE PAPER ONTO THE CYLINDER CAUSING THE CYLINDER TO ROLL UP THE PAPER ON ITS END WITH THE END OF THE CYLINDER INTERMEDIATE 